Cooling systems such as radiators, engine oil coolers, inner coolers, and transmission oil coolers, have always been an essential component of internal combustion engines, such as engines used in automobiles and boats. The cooling systems are sold both as original equipment and as aftermarket replacements or upgrades. When the cooling systems are sold in the aftermarket, they are sold as either direct-fit replacement units, which are tailored to a particular vehicle, or as universal-fit replacement units, which require custom mounting.
Direct-fit replacement units have existing fixed mounting points that align to the mounting points of a vehicle, which can be located on an engine of the vehicle. The direct-fit replacement units, however, do not provide adjustability in the mounting points. Thus, any manufacturing misalignments would greatly hinder the assembly of the unit. Similarly, attempting to modify the engine can result in clearance problems when assembling necessary cooling components.
Universal-fit replacement units have no predetermined mounting points, wherein vehicle-specific mounting points are typically provided by welding a custom bracket to the unit body. One problem with this type of mounting system is that it does not provide means for easily adjusting the mounting points after the bracket has been welded to the unit body.
In the case of radiators and some oil coolers, in addition to mounting the cooling system onto a vehicle, accessories such as fans, air-conditioning condensers, oil coolers, or other smaller cooling component elements may be mounted onto the cooling system itself. One method of attaching these accessories is by using internal ties. The ties are generally inserted through thin cooling fins of the main cooling device, e.g., the radiator core, and tightened onto the accessory in order to hold the accessory and the radiator together. Unfortunately, the ties have a tendency to damage the thin cooling fins and to subsequently reduce the efficiency of the cooling device. The alternative to the ties is to use either another fixed mounting point, which has been welded to the main cooling device, or to drill an additional fixed mounting point in the existing mounting bracket. Nevertheless, neither alternative option provides adjustability after an initial mounting point has been fixed.
A purpose of cooling systems is to cool a fluid, such as an engine coolant. In the case of radiators, an inlet side tank distributes the fluid to a series of tubes of a radiator core, wherein heat from the fluid is dissipated in part via fins attached to the tubes. Upon exiting the tubes, the fluid is collected in and expelled through an outlet side tank.
The available space for a cooling device, such as a radiator, is determined by the design of an original equipment manufacturer. Maximizing the heat rejection of the cooling device within the available space results in a more efficient heat transfer. A more efficient heat transfer is desirable because it can result in a higher engine performance, e.g., it can allow the increase of horsepower. In general, the cooling function in current systems is performed mostly by the radiator core, wherein the side tanks have marginal cooling capability. Thus, one problem associated with current cooling systems is that they do not maximize the available cooling space.
Thus, there is a need to overcome problems associated with current cooling systems. The present invention is directed to satisfying these and other needs.